Eight hundred people have been killed in traffic accidents on Afghanistan's roads in the past nine months, the traffic department said Wednesday, highlighting the need for more driving education.
More than 2,000 other people have been injured in the accidents. When combined with the number of deaths, it averages out to be more than 75 casualties per week.
The department said that most of the incidents are happening on the highways because "drivers don't know the traffic laws well and the highways are not standard."
"The non-standard highways, technical problems and driver neglect are the main causes of the accidents," said head of Kabul traffic department Gen. Nezamuddin Dadkhowa.
The Ministry of Public Works confirmed the highways have serious problems including a lack of signs to inform drivers.
This comes as on Sunday night, at least four people died and another person was injured when their car careened into a river in the east of Kabul province.
The incident took place in the Surbe district of Kabul when the car lost control and crashed into the river, district governor Shah Aghasi said.
The passengers were travelling from Kabul to the east parts of Afghanistan, Aghasi said, adding that he believed the incident happened because of driver neglect.